Wiring-block for electrical circuits



(No Model.)

0. P. LOOMIS.

WIRING BLOCKS FOR ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS. No. 396,579. Patented Jan. 22,1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

OSBORN P. LOOMIS, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LOOMISELECTRIC MANFFACTURING COMPANY, OF NElV YORK.

WlRlNG-BLOCK FOR ELECTRICAL CIRCUlTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,579, dated January22, 1889.

Application filed Au u t 17,1887. Serial No. 247,164. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSBORN P. Looms, acitizen of the United States, residing at Somerville, in the county ofMiddleseX and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in \Yiring-Blocks for Electrical Circuits, of whichthe following is such afull, clear, and exactdescription as will enablean y one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, ref

erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates more particularly to wiring-blocks to be used withincandescentlight circuits, and has been designed as an improvement onsuch devices.

The invention consists of a wiring-block preferably supplying both sidesof the main wires, and includes afuse in each circuit, which is insertedtherein in a simple manner and is of small expense.

It also consists in connecting the main wire and branch or subsidiarywire by one device of peculiar construction and it consists, also, incertain novel features and arrangements, to be hereinafter set forth indetail,which will be pointed out in the claims making a part hereof.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a wiring-block. embodying my invention withthe top removed. Fig. 2 is a section thereof on line 3 2 of Fig. 1, andFig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The same letters indicate the some parts throughout the three tigures ofthe drawings.

A and B are two main comluctors carrying the supply of electricity froma generator, H, the former being the positive and the lat ter thenegative wire.

Arrows in Fig. 1 show the paths of the current. To construct awiring-block after my invention, a piece of wood, C, is provided. Twochannels or grooves, l) l) and E E, are planed therein at right anglesto each other on opposite sides. The latter grooves are to receive thesupp]y-conductors A B, and the former are fitted with metal pieces 1 :2'3 4:, provided with attaching devices p q r s, respectively. The clampsp r hold in place the main conductors A B, the insulation beingpreviously stripped off at two places, as shown in Figs.

1 and 3, to prevent cutting the wires. The subsidiary wires a 1) arealso fastened in place, thereby making electrical connection between thecircuits a 1) a I) and the main conductors A B. The screws q .smerelyfasten the subsidiary wires 1) a. to the block, making connectiontherewith, but of themselves have no electrical communication with themain wires A and B. (See Figs. 2 and The clamping devices r are alike inevery respect, and so also are the screws (1 The 1 metal pieces 1 2 3 -ishould. be carefully insulated from the wood of the block.

Two sets of metal springs, c d and e f, are screwed to the block, andtongues F G, of

; non-conducting fiber provided with strips of i tin-foil mmrespectively, are adapted to be inserted between each set of springsand the metal pieces before alluded to, so as to complete the circuitthrough the tin-foil strips. The foil is wrapped around the edge of thetongues, which are cut away at their middle, as shown by the curveddotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to allow the foil to tlash and not to charthe fiber.

a b and a I) aretwo subsidiaryorconsunip tion circuits connected withthe main conductors A B and contain incandescent lamps or other electroreceptive devices therein. The wires (1 a are connected with mainconductor A and the wires Z L with main conductor B, the circuit betweenthe same being completed through the incandescent lamps shown inmultiple therewith.

The block is provided with a cover, I, recessed to fit over the same,and may be secured thereto by screws 2' The current passes from thepositive conductor A to the clamp or attaching device 1), where itsplits, part going to the wire (4 and incandescent lamps to wire I), toscrew q, "via metal piece 2, tin-foil n on tongue G to metal piece 3;then to clamp '1', to negative or return conductor B, back to thegenerator, the wire I) at screw q having no metallic connection withmain conductor A, described before. The other part of the current goesfrom p to the foil m upon the tongue F, to metal piece l and screw 3, towire a, screw 8 does not make metallic connection with conductor B, andfrom wire a it passe through the inc-an IOC descent lamps to wire I),and rice clamp '2' to the negative conductor B. Thus it will be seenthat tongue G, bearing the fusible foil, protects the group of lamps incircuit a b, and the tongue F protects the lamps in circuit a b in thesame way, so that if the lamp-wires on either side should beaccidentally crossed or short-circuited the foil will melt and open thatcircuit, thus protecting the dynamo and allowing the group of lamps inthe other circuit to burn. So, too, the block might protect the dynamoand some of the lamps from a lighting charge when the wires are struck.The block would also operate to cut thelamps out before serious damagecould be done by an abnormal rise of current.

The springs c (I c f merely serve to hold the tongues F and G in placeand keep the tin,- foil 011 said tongues in contact with themetalpieces. It will be evident that these tongues can be readily withdrawnand replaced by new ones or by n ew tin-foil. Each wirin g-block may beprovided with several extra ones, if necessary.

The clamping devices 1) 'r are of novel construction. They consist of ascrew part, which has a curved clamp extending therefrom for receivingthe main conductors, and a nut that works on the screw part, binding thesubsidiary circuit and grasping tightly the main conductor by oneoperation, (turning the nut,) so that the tighter the nut is screweddown upon the subsidiary wire the more firmly will it draw the clampagainst the main conductor.

Any number of blocks may be used along the circuit A B to supply groupsof lamps lo cated along the route. The advantages of the wiring-blockare compactness, cheapness, ease of installation, and safety, thecontacts and connections being so far apart that there is no danger ofcross-circuits in the block.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the devices I havedescribed may be va-' ried and still be within the scope of what I nowdesire to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States, whichis- 1. A safety-strip for electric circuits, consisting of a thin pieceof vulcanized non-conductin fiber of the form shown and described, witha projecting thumb-piece and a cutaway edge having tin-foil wrappedai'ound the same, and spring terminals adapted to hold the same in placeand complete the circuit by way of the tin-foil, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of the conductors A B, the metal pieces 1 2 3 i,mounted in a grooved block of non-conducting material, the subsidiaryconductors a b a b, clamping devices p r, for the main conductors andone terminal of the subsidiary conductors, bindingscrews (1 s, for theother terminals thereof, and fusible connections between said metalpieces 1 3 and 2 i.

The combination of the conductors A B, the metal pieces 1 2 3 i, mountedin a grooved block of non-conducting material, the subsidiary conductorsa l) a b, clamping devices p 1', for the main conductors and oneterminal of the subsidiary conductors, binding screws q s, for the otherterminals thereof, sprin 0 (Z c f, mounted upon said block over saidmetal pieces, and removable tongues or strips F G of non-conductingmaterial or fiber bearing tin-foil,bridging the space between the metalpieces and springs, in the manner and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 13th dayof August, 1887, in the presence of two suhscribingwitncsses.

OSBORN P. LOOMIS. \Vitnesses:

CHAS. A. PIERCE, CHARLES D. 'lHoMPsoN.

